To Catch a Cat
by lindenrosetps
Summary: Jim and Silver have a question. Just how cat-like is Captain Amelia? Set somewhere after I'm Still Here. Just a bit of silliness.


**Author's Note: Hey, look! I'm back! Though I doubt any of you remember me, especially since I usually write HTTYD fics. Anyways, this is the first fic I've published in a while since I managed to convince myself that my writing is terrible and nobody wants to read it. Typical me. Silver may be a bit OOC in this story, but I just couldn't resist.**

 **I don't own Treasure Planet. If I did, do you seriously think there'd be only one movie?**

It'd been such a long day.

Jim groaned, staring down at his mop. The deck was sparkling clean, except for that one little corner, but he felt as though he couldn't push it an inch further.

Silver looked up from where he was throwing leftovers over the side of the ship. "Tired, Jimbo?"

"Nope. I'm good." Jim stifled a yawn and picked up the mop again. "Not tired at all."

"I can see that. Been a long day, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it has." Jim gave a huge yawn and stretched, ignoring the groans of protest from his tired muscles.

Silver hesitated, then took the mop for him. "Go ahead and take a break, lad. I'll get this bit."

"You don't have to do that, Silver…"

"Yer darn right I don't. An' it won't happen again, so enjoy it."

"Alright." Jim shrugged and sat down on a sack, leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes. Silver finished the last of the mopping and sat down next to him.

"You are being weirdly nice," muttered Jim.

"Ye've worked hard lately. And ye've kept yerself out o' trouble, for the most part."

Jim had just opened his mouth to reply when Captain Amelia came on deck. "Hawkins! Silver!" she barked.

The two jumped to their feet and hastily saluted.

"Aye, Cap'n?" asked Silver.

"Last I checked we were running a ship, not a rest home. You two have no business simply sitting about!"

"We were just takin' a well-deserved rest, Cap'n," wheedled Silver. "I'm not as young as I was, y'know, and the boy here's been run nearly ragged."

"Well-deserved, my foot. Rest's over. Back to work, both of you."

"Yes, Cap'n." Silver bowed, tipping his hat. "Well, Jimbo, ye heard her. It's back t'the galley wit' us."

Back in the galley, Jim fumed as he grabbed a purp and started to take a bite. The purp grew eyes at the last minute and flew away from him.

"C'mon, Morphy, don't be botherin' Jim." Silver held out a hand and Morph flew to it happily. Jim grunted and grabbed a real purp, taking an angry bite.

"'Snot fair," he grumbled. "We've been working hard all day. We sit down a few minutes and she just jumps all over us. Old stick in the mud… doesn't know how real people work… we're not machines!"

"Well, fer the most part, we're not." Silver chuckled and wiggled his cyborg fingers. "But ye shouldn't speak o'the Cap'n like that, Jimbo."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, I know, I've heard it all from Mr. Arrow. They're like peas in a pod and neither of them think we're more than lazy crewmen."

"Wit' that aside, I do agree wit' ye. They can be a bit uptight."

"I wonder what it'd take to make Captain Amelia cut out the starch for a bit." Jim grinned impishly. "Don't you ever just want to point a laser pointer at the deck and see what happens?"

"She may look like a cat, Jim, but that don't mean she is one."

"I wanna see how much she acts like one. C'mon, Silver. Wouldn't it be fun?"

Silver had to admit, it would be nice to see the stiff, upright Captain Amelia let loose for a bit. He frowned thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "I don't know about the laser pointer just yet, but I've got somethin' else we can try. Add a bit to her afternoon tea."

Jim brightened. "What is it?"

"It's an herb I picked up. They call it catnip."

*line break*

Jim knocked on the stateroom door the next day, carefully balancing a loaded tea tray. "Captain?"

"Ah, Mr. Hawkins." Amelia opened the door and looked down at him. "My tea, I suppose?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very well. Put it on the desk."

Jim complied, gingerly setting the tray down. Amelia resumed her seat and took a sip of the tea. "Ooh. That's something… new." Her voice rumbled slightly and a rare smile stretched over her face. "What did Silver put in this?"

"An herb he picked up somewhere." Jim fought to keep his voice and expression neutral. "It's part of the mint family, he says."

"That's quite nice, actually. He might have to include it more often. Go on now, Jim, you're dismissed."

*line break*

"Well?" asked Silver. "What'd she do?"

Jim snorted. "I think we cracked her a bit. She was smiling, Silver. She never does that. And I could've sworn she was purring."

Silver gave a hearty laugh. "Ah, our dear Cap'n purring… I'd give a sight to see that."

Jim started laughing harder. "And she called me by my first name. With her it's always Mr. Hawkins."

"Unless she's mad at ye, then it's just plain Hawkin's." Silver grinned at him. "We'll have to experiment with the catnip some more, so long as she doesn't catch on."

Jim heard loud voices outside the galley and went up to look out through the grate, Silver close behind him. Amelia was talking to Doppler at an even more energetic pace than usual, the words practically tumbling from her mouth. Her stiff pace had also quickened and the poor doctor was hard put to listen and keep up with her at the same time.

Silver roared with laughter again, slapping his knee. "Aye, that's got her goin', alright."

Jim clapped his hands over his mouth and laughed uncontrollably when the unfortunate Mr. Turnbuckle got in her way and received a severe dressing-down. "Oh, this is priceless."

Silver took a deep breath, swiping at his eyes. "Oh my. Perhaps we'd best not give her any more catnip, Jimbo. The poor crew might never recover."

"But we can try something else though… right?"

"I suppose we could."

*line break*

"Mr. Silver, Mr. Hawkins." Amelia crossed her arms and glared at the pair. Jim shuffled and looked at her innocently. "I suppose the two of you want something."

"If it's not too much trouble, Cap'n," said Silver. "We're just runnin' a bit low on supplies and I thought we might stock up at the nearest port. Purps are gettin' low, especially. I've never seen a crew that runs through purps quite like this one, ma'am."

Amelia sighed. "Very well, Mr. Silver. We shall dock and get some more supplies."

"Thank ye kindly, Cap'n." Silver smiled at her, and switched the setting on his cyborg eye. The laser beam popped out and began to scan the deck.

"Mr. Silver." Amelia's hands twitched, and she clenched them at her sides. "What exactly are you doing?"

"This eye o' mine's been a bit finicky lately. I do apologize, Cap'n. 'Twon't happen again, I promise ye."

Amelia's eyes darted back and forth, watching the laser move about on the deck. Her hands twitched again and she started forwards before regaining control of herself, an eager energy in every limb. "If you would kindly get that eye of yours under control. I have business to attend to, and I suggest the two of you get back to yours."

The captain stalked off, the image of firm control. But Jim noticed that she couldn't resist stepping on the red dot as she walked away.

In the safety of the galley, Jim and Silver burst into howls of laugher. Silver turned his laser on again and Morph turned into Captain Amelia and chased it around the room.

"She wanted to chase that thing so bad," gasped Jim, doubling over. "That would've been a sight."

"Sure way to cause a mutiny, that," chuckled Silver. "The sight of yer cap'n chasin' a red dot all about the deck doesn't exactly inspire confidence."

"Can't imagine why." Jim wiped a tear from his eye and burst into laughter again. "I don't suppose we could leave a ball of yarn in her stateroom."

Silver gave another snort of laughter. "I don't know about you, Jimbo, but I'm rather attached to my remainin' limbs. Dr. Doppler, though… we haven't tried anything with him yet. I don't suppose we could find a chew toy."

"Tried that years ago," grinned Jim.

"And? What'd he do?"

"He was a bit offended that I'd given him a chew toy, but he did keep it. For 'research purposes.'"

"Tha's perfect. Perhaps when yer cleanin' his room, ye could… accidentally… drop a bone."

"Completely accidental, of course. It just fell into my apron pocket and fell back out."

"Just mind they don't catch on t'ye, lad. Cap'n's bad enough as it is, I'd hate to see her in a right terror."

Jim chuckled. "For once, I agree with you. I'm also pretty attached to my limbs."


End file.
